Why are opioids produced by the conventional pharmaceutical industry?

Answer 1

Opoids drugs have the potential to produce great analgesia, mood changes, physical dependence, tolerance and a satisfying effect which may lead to unnecessary compulsive drug use. Opoids drugs act in both the central and peripheral nervous systems.Opoids act on the opoids receptors designated as m, d and k sub-units. All the three receptors produce analgesia when an opoids binds to them. However, activation of k receptors does not produce as much physical dependence as activation of m receptors.
: Opoids are useful for most moderate to severe pain and particularly for post operative or cancer related pain. In addition to their analgesic effects opoids drugs have a variety of other actions within CNS.
The administration of opoids should be in limited dose to enable the analgesic effects be maintained for along time resulting in use of opoids judiciously. This is a very important reason that opoids are incorporated in limited amount in many pain killer preparations including some cough mixtures as well. Incorporation of this limited amount of doses in turn improves and contributes to the efficacy of the main analgesic compound or the drug intended for human use. Additions of small doses in medicinal preparations for management of non cancer chronic pains (due to varied causes) improves the market value and gains popularity in the market. Production of analgesics with limited opoid dose can only be done in an environment with capacity of relevant human expertise and related equipments conforming to GMP and this can only be found in the conventional pharmaceutical companies.
Irrational use of opoids as in the case of drug addicts is a real danger to the public health when abused. Addicts use opoids for the excitement, euphoria,
sensation of well-being and alteration of mood that they produce. It is therefore necessary that the production of these drugs are done under strict controlled system and made available only for intended medical use administered by trained health personnel. Permitting illicit production of opoids is a sure doom to the societal fabric.

Illicit production of opoids will also mean that the strength of the drugs in the preparation are not ascertained. This is likely to lead to having opoid drugs in very high doses resulting in toxicity. The acute toxic effects are prominence of the pharmacodynamic effects.

Opioid drugs produce their major effects on the Central nervous System (CNS) and the bowel through mu receptors. In higher doses, they can interact with the other receptors leading to risks.

Main risks include:
 Respiratory depression
 Coma
 Hypotension
 Non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema.
 Psychological or/and physical dependence
 Renal failure.

Therefore, production of opoids in the least effective dose will be best achieved by conventional pharmaceutical companies to avoid unnecessary risk to human life